“A senior US official, apparently traveling with US Vice-President Joe Biden, said that the United States was giving air cover to the Turkish operations, telling the Syrian government to keep its planes away”

Unnamed official traveling with Biden claims the US was giving air cover..

Here is the direct quote that is supposed to support the claim:

“We have full visibility on what they [the Turks] are doing,” the official told journalists”

Having full visibility does not suggest air cover- It's more indicative of spying.

Hoping none of my readers believed that spin? - Cause the Pentagon spokesperson cited below, with a name, states plainly the US is NOT supporting Turkey in their endeavour.

The US Department of Defense was quick to distance itself Monday morning from the fighting and Turkish airstrikes, which at least one independent monitor said on Sunday killed 40 civilians.

"The United States was not involved in these activities, they were not coordinated with US forces, and we do not support them," saidPentagon spokesman Peter Cook."We regret all loss of life in these reported clashes and have expressed our condolences to Turkey for theapparent loss of a Turkish soldier."

“DOD: We want to make clear that we find these clashes -- in areas where #ISIL is not located -- unacceptable and a source of deep concern.”

Peter Cook, Pentagon spokesperson, claims these Turkish activities are not coordinated with US forces and are not supported- and condolences for the apparent loss of a Turkish soldier?

Why apparent?

You all know the choice of words is very important. So why not just say the reported loss? Was the choice ofapparentmeant in this manner? “Appearing as such but not necessarily so; seeming”.If Peter Cook was truly sending condolences “apparent” is not the appropriate word to use... Personally speaking, it's not a word I would ever use to send condolences. To anyone, anywhere, anytime. Pentagon spokesperson being intentionally disingenuous to an ally??? Turkey was never a real NATO ally - Only an ally of convenience- this has been discussed previously.
Deep Concern? Definitely much more serious in diplospeak then 'regrettableBottom line?

We have Mr Cook stating plainly the US is not coordinating or supporting these activities. We have Ash Carter throwing mud on the idea of cooperation- Brent McGurk being "unacceptable and deep concern" And we have yet another slight aimed at Turkey.

Continuing on...

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday that the goal of Euphrates Shield was to prevent the Kurds from "completing an end-to-end corridor" across Syria.

"If that happens, it means Syria has been divided," he said, according to AFP.

Hasn’t that been the plan all along? To divide Syria? I've written about that plan, here, since 2011. So, if Turkey was truly being a US ally, at this time, doesn’t it seem odd they are impeding their allies plan? Much to the annoyance of the Americans...

The United States “should keep its word” and force the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) to withdraw to the east of the Euphrates, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said, responding to U.S. President Barack Obama’s special representative Brett McGurk’s remarks on Turkey hitting PYD targets. “The U.S. knows Turkey’s sensitivity on this issue. A promise was given: The PYD won’t stay west of the Euphrates river,” Kurtulmus told journalists in Istanbul on Aug. 29, referring to Ankara’s demand that the PYD moves back to the east of the Euphrates

The aim of Operation Euphrates Shield was to clear the Jarablus region in northern Syria of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the minister stated. “So why is the YPG uncomfortable if the common enemy is Deash [ISIL]?” Çavusoglu said.

NATO GLOBAL TERROR ENTITY

Kurds................ISIS

“They
[YPG] need to move to the east side of the Euphrates as soon as
possible, as they had announced they would and as the U.S. had
promised,” Çavusoglu said at a joint press conference with Dutch
counterpart Bert Koenders.

As I explained, the main purpose of the Euphrates Shield operation
is to occupy the strategic border town of Jarablus in northern Syria and
have a showdown with the Syrian Kurds (supported by US Special Forces
and American air cover). The Kurdish militia had crossed the Euphrates
river a few months ago and, contrary to American assurances, they are
now moving westward to realise their dream of establishing a Kurdistan
straddling Turkey’s border, stretching from Iraq to East Mediterranean
coast. Turkey’s ‘red line’ has been breached.

A cat-and-mouse game has been going on between Turkey and the US.
The latter was calculating that Turkey won’t act on the ground to
confront the Syrian Kurds militarily, especially after the recent coup
attempt of July 15, which weakened the military, plus the Russian
presence in Syria.

mkbhadrakumar "The stunning part is that the Turkish incursion follows a tacit understanding with Iran (and Syria). Interestingly, Russian jets aren’t
visible anywhere in the Syrian skies to stop the Turkish incursion,
either. Surely, NATO is rocking, since it is highly improbable that
Turkey took the US-led alliance into confidence over the Euphrates
Shield operation, which, ironically, aims at destroying America’s best
ally on the Syrian chessboard"

A team of Iranian intelligence officials had made a quick dash to
Ankara yesterday morning to give the final touch to the concerted
Euphrates Shield operation against the Syrian Kurds. The Iranian
delegation presumably carried messages from Damascus for the Turkish
side and returned to Tehran yesterday evening itself.

According to Iranian media reports, the deputy head of the Turkish
intelligence had paid a secret visit to Damascus on Sunday. Prior to
that, Turkish Foreign Minister Mavlut Cavusoglu had a stopover in Tehran
on Thursday for 5 hours to personally coordinate with the Iranians –
avoiding phone conversations that could have been tapped by the American
electronic intelligence system. Clearly, we are witnessing the first
tangible signs of a super-secret deal between Turkey and Iran to further
their common agenda of preventing the emergence of a Syrian Kurdistan
backed by the US and Israel connecting the Kurdish homelands between the
Iraqi Kurdistan and Eastern Mediterranean. (Asharq Al-Awsat")

Turkey fears that a Syrian Kurdistan will inexorably boost the
separatist Kurdish insurgency on its territory. Iran fears that
Kurdistan may turn out to be the playpen of American and Israeli
intelligence for undertaking subversive activities against it.
Equally, Iraq and Syria also stand to lose since the creation of a
Kurdistan will be at the cost of their own national unity and
territorial integrity. A convergence on the Kurdish problem brings
together Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Oh, the elephant in the room, being wilfully ignored by so many!

Personally speaking: ***Presenting the move into Syria, by Turkey, as solely being part of the NATO/Israeli planned destabilization agenda including redrawing the map of the middle east is: 1-failing to consider that redrawn map includes a balkanized/weakened Turkey. As well as Iran.2-It fails to consider the obvious symbiosis between Kurds and ISIS- ISIS shock troops/Kurdish moppers and annexers.. all done under the guise of 'fighting ISIS' with the US/Israel backing both sides 3- It is also ignoring the historical fracturing of the NATO alliance at this time. 4-Russian/China's gain. Tacitly backing Turkey at this time means (a) weakened NATO, (b)No problem with Black Sea and Bosphorus accessPersonally speaking again, presenting Turkey's move into Syria without considering the points mentioned above and what has been going on the past few years is a very NATO advantageous narrative- It will allow the NATO friendly presentation to move forward with other NATO members attacking Turkey for being 'rogue'.

As
it stands, the major fact on the ground is that ‘Sultan’ Erdogan seems
to have had enough of the Americans (NATO of course included) and has
pivoted to Russia.

Thus the sending of certified Keystone Cop Joe Biden to Ankara to
plead “not guilty” on the military coup (forget it; most Turks don’t
believe Washington) and to implore Erdogan not to pursue his massive
purge (pure wishful thinking).

Considering Erdogan’s notoriously erratic record, his embrace of
ATM may be just a gigantic illusion, or may open yet another unforeseen
can of worms. But there are signs this may be for real.

Cavusoglu has already intimated that Ankara is aiming for a
military/technological upgrade that is impossible under NATO’s watch. In
his own words; “Unfortunately, we see countries in NATO are a bit
hesitant when it comes to exchange of technology and joint investments.”

Moscow has every reason to be quite cautious regarding myriad
aspects of Erdogan’s pivoting. After all the Turkish military has been
part of NATO for decades. As it stands, there’s no evidence Moscow and
Ankara are looking at the same post-war Syria. But if we’re talking
about the future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), then it
starts to get really interesting.

Turkey is already a “dialog partner” of the SCO, while Iran may
become a full member as early as next year. Moscow is certainly
envisioning Ankara as a valuable ally in the wider Sunni world, way
beyond a role in repelling Salafi-jihadis in Syria. With Ankara and
Tehran also talking serious business, this could eventually spill out
into a serious debunking of the alleged apocalyptic Sunni-Shi’ite
sectarian divide, which is the only Divide-and-Rule strategy spun and
deployed non-stop by the US, Israel and the House of Saud.

It’s this enticing SCO-enhancing possibility that’s freaking
Washington out big time. Russia pivoting East, Turkey pivoting East,
Iran already there, and China now also actually involved in a stake in
post-war Syria, that’s a geopolitical reconfiguration in Southwest Asia
that once again spells out the inevitable; Eurasia integration.

Two final questions: Did Turkey purge it's military enough to guarantee it will act for Turkey? Does Erdogan have trustworthy security?Started on this post Monday... and that's it for today and until later tomorrow!I've left lots to read, so please, read it :)And thanks.

WASHINGTON — With
fewer than 150 days before he hands the Oval Office keys to his
successor, US President Barack Obama is making the fight against the
Islamic State (ISIS) the focus of his administration’s strategy in Iraq
and Syria.

Think-tank experts, retired generals and
administration officials are talking of an imminent battle to liberate
Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, before the end of the year. Seizing
Mosul from ISIS could serve to enhance Obama’s legacy and possibly
emerge as an “October surprise” to help Democrats in the November
Experts, however, warn that having the right preparation for the Mosul battle is more crucial than the timeline.

The buzz around liberating Mosul started in April when Obama told CBS
television that “my expectation is that by the end of the year, we will
have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall.
The recent advances of Kurdish peshmerga forces east of Mosul as well as
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s vow to “raise the Iraqi flag”
over Mosul have only increased speculation about a looming battle to
recapture the city.

The United States also has
increased the number of advisers and trainers working with the Iraqi
Army; in July, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that an
additional 560 troops would be sent to Iraq to help prepare for an
Iraqi-led recapture of Mosul.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg,
an analyst with the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation who is based
in northern Syria, said Mosul “needs to be surrounded first before the
real operation can be launched”. “ISIS supply lines between Iraq and
Syria need to be cut… and great manpower is needed,” he added.

This
manpower is expected to be made up of “Kurdish forces, fighters from
Sunni Arab tribes, the Iraqi Army and Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary
groups” said van Wilgenburg, though differences and disagreements among
these groups could impede such an operation.

Logistically,
the Kurdish forces “will launch an operation in southern Shingal, (Sinjar) while
the Iraqi security units push into western Anbar to control the Syrian
border gate of al-Qaim and then move towards al-Ba’aj,” according to van
Wilgenburg, who warned that “until the encirclement of Mosul is
complete, they cannot launch the operation.”

Political
talks around taking Mosul have started in an attempt to coordinate
matters of governance and provincial powers over the city. Lack of good
governance and distrust in the security services were among the factors
that helped ISIS swiftly seize Mosul in June 2014.

Iraq’s
Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani recently hosted
talks between US and Iraqi officials and representatives of the Sunni
tribes and Kurdish forces in Erbil to discuss post-military operations
in Mosul. In a statement released after the talks, Barzani said that
“post-liberation Mosul will not accept the old order” and that “drastic
changes need to be made for the benefit of the people of Mosul”. Among
the likely changes are redistricting Nineveh province and creating a
more inclusive political power structure in Mosul.

The
term “October surprise” refers to a political event that has a
last-minute effect on November elections and that is what some are
calling the Mosul operation. A US official who asked to remain anonymous
said Obama himself saw ending the ISIS foothold in Mosul as a “critical
part of his legacy” but denied any link to the election calendar.

Politico,
however, reported in an article titled Get ready for Obama’s ‘October
Surprise’ in Iraq that the Mosul offensive “is now tentatively scheduled
to begin sometime in early October with a final battle coming at the
end of that month.” Retired Army Lieutenant-General Michael D. Barbero
told theWashington Times that “some US officers in Baghdad believe the
Obama administration is rushing plans for a Mosul offensive so it takes
place before the November presidential election.”

Such a
move would not be a complete surprise contends Larry Sabato, director
of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. He referred to
past efforts by sitting presidents to inject national security into the
presidential race, such as in 2004 when George W. Bush raised the
terror alert only days before the vote to secure his second term.

Virtually
all polls give Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton a lead over her
Republican rival Donald Trump and the liberation of Mosul would bolster
the Democrats’ chances of keeping the White House.

But
van Wilgenburg warned against rushing a military operation and
emphasised the importance of preparedness and first encircling the city.
While a quick victory in Mosul could reverberate positively for the
Democrats, a short-sighted effort could bring dire consequences for both
Obama’s legacy and the Democratic ticket.

huffingtonpost: David L. Phillips- CFR,Senior Adviser to the U.S. Department of State, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and so much more.... He's presenting the elitist agenda
Quite a work of perception management- a bit of truth liberally salted with lies

The Obama
administration has assiduouslyavoided U.S. military engagement in
Syria.President Barack Obama is wary of the pottery barn rule: "You
break it, you own it." Supporting Turkey's invasion and occupation of
Syria would be a strategic mistake, making the United States a
protagonist in Syria's civil war. (Rubbish about the US avoiding military interference and yes the US is already a protagonist in Syria's destabilization)

The US was caught unaware and the heavy handed narrative creation is getting ever more absurd

Vice President
Joe Biden went to Ankara last week on a mission to repair U.S.-Turkey
relations. Upon arrival, Biden learned that Turkish Special Forces,
tanks, and fighters with the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were invading Syria,
targeting Jarablus near the Turkish border.

Biden endorsed
Turkey's "Operation Euphrates Shield." He also claimed that the U.S.
provided air power.However, eye witnesses say no bombs were actually
dropped on Jarablus.

The US did not provide air power. Not from anything I've read

Slipping into Syria's quagmire is not in America's interest. Nor is being played by Turkey. Operation Euphrates Shield violates Syria's sovereignty. (Can you believe that claim? Since when has the US been concerned with Syria's sovereignty? )Supporting Turkey would make the U.S. complicit in Turkey's land grab.( Completely ignoring the fact the US is heavily complicit in both the ISIS/Kurds land grabs, providing no proof of a Turkish land grab)

Given Turkey's
sordid history supporting Islamists,( No mention of the US involvement in training the Islamists in bases on Turkish territory, no US sordid involvment. How about Israeli involvment????) it will be more difficult to
negotiate an end to Syria's conflict with Turkish troops on-the-ground.

The Obama
administration has been giving weapons and air support to the People's
Protection Forces (YPG), Syrian Kurdish forces numbering 40,000. The PYG
is America's most reliable ally against ISIS. Washington will continue
to support the YPG if it fights ISIS east of the Euphrates.(Lie. Washington has supported YPG/PKK west of the Euphrates)

Erdogan abhors
U.S. cooperation with the YPG, which he calls a terror group. Erdogan
wants the U.S. to make a choice between Turkey and the YPG, but was
repeatedly rebuffed. (Erdogan? Promoting the cult of personality- knee jerk emotional response desired. The US has long betrayed Turkey)

The Obama
administration must be steely-eyed about Turkey's intentions. Erdogan
says the primary purpose of Operation Euphrates Shield is to fight ISIS.
This is patently false.

Erdogan's
hostility towards the Kurds is no secret. He insists that the YPG and
PKK are the same, even though the U.S. Government says they are
distinct.(Appeal to authority- logical fallacy/not proof! The US Gov says.... so what? Lots of information available that the YPG/PKK are one and the same- A ton of it is posted here)

It was
predictable that Turkey would drop the pretense of fighting ISIS and
focus its operation on the PYG. The Obama administration knows what's
going on.

A senior
Pentagon official told CNN: "The Turks never cared about Jarablus until
the Kurds wanted to get there." Special Envoy Brett McGurk called
Turkey's targeting of the PYD "unacceptable and a source of deep
concern".

U.S.-Turkish
relations were already on the rocks because of Turkey's wholesale
crackdown on oppositionists after the failed coup of July 15.(Oh, really?! US Turkish relations were on the rocks long before the failed coup and they worsened after the thwarted coup)

The
relationship is further challenged by Turkey's decision to go after
America's allies in Syria.( Turkey is no longer an American ally. That's clear)

Turks are
increasingly restless. They welcomed Operation Euphrates Shield, which
restored the military's credibility after the coup. They were told the
operation targeted their two nemesis - ISIS and the YPG/PKK. Now Turks
are growing concerned about the end game. How long will Turkish troops
stay in Syria and what will they accomplish?

Obama must guard against manipulation. Providing military and diplomatic
support to Turkey's invasion and occupation creates a conundrum, vexing
his successor.Syria will be Erdogan's Waterloo. The U.S. Government must not be tethered to Turkey's sinking ship.

Obama must 'guard' against manipulation? Syria is supposed to be Russia's sinking ship too.

An opposition
monitoring group and a news agency linked with the Islamic State group
say a suicide attacker has targeted Turkish-backed rebels in northern
Syria.

Another lie bites the dust. Turkey as an ISIS ally. It wasn't true, you were just supposed to believe it was true as part of the demonization of Turkey. As all my readers should know by now, there is abundant information to demonstrate that NATO has turned on it's inconvenient ally: Turkey

The Islamic State group's Aamaq news
agency says the "martyrdom" attack occurred in the village of Kuliyah,
west of the Syrian border town of Jarablus.

The
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Wednesday's
attack was carried out by a North African IS member. It says casualties
were inflicted but did not give figures.

Turkish
troops and Turkey-backed rebels have been fighting Kurdish-led forces
and IS since Turkey's incursion into Syria on Aug. 24.

Much ado has been made over the past few days about the ulterior motives behind Turkey’s conventional military campaign in northern Syria, with most people refusing to believe that Erdogan ‘altruistically’ ordered the operation just to ‘take one for the team’ and help his multipolar allies clear out the Kurdish “federalists”. Turkey does indeed have a self-interested national security reason in doing so, but knowing the wily Sultan, he’s bound to have a trick or two up his sleeve, and it’s very likely that he’s aiming for grander goals than just preventing the emergence of a PKK safe haven all along his southern borderland (which is in and of itself an ambitious objective). The fact of the matter is that Turkey’s true long-term intention for its conventional military involvement in Syria isn’t to take the country’s territory like many alarmists seem to think is the plan, but to change its constitution, which in many ways could be just as bad or even worse for the country.

It's amazing to me, personally, to observe how few persons are mentioning the creation of Kurdistan/Israel 2.0 as a problematic issue for any of the nations involved. Syria, Turkey or Iran. (Omitting Iraq for now) Why is this issue being hidden/covered up by so many? Why is the obvious remake of the region for Israel's benefit not on many so called serious analysts radar? Thankfully, Andrew Korbyko addresses this plan. So Willy Loman, and I, are not completely alone! Pepe Escobar has also discussed the creation of Kurdistan as an Israeli interest. Please share if you know of other's seriously discussing this topic, rather then obfuscating it behind manipulative rhetoric?

Syria, Russia, and Iran are definitely aware of this, and they might
have even held out the possibility – but certainly not the promise – of
Turkey influencing the forthcoming rewritten Syrian Constitution in
order to convince Erdogan to step into northern Syria to take out the
Kurds and replace the pro-Saudi Daesh and pro-American SDF with Ankara’s
FSA, all the while risking that he’ll be drawn into a quagmire as he
takes out his new partners’ mutual enemies. Despite the risks inherent
in this gamble and all that could possibly go wrong with this plot, the
Resistance Bloc appears to have agreed that the potential benefits far
outweigh the dangers, and that it’s preferable for Turkey to act as
their ‘cat’s paw’ against Washington and Riyadh’s proxies because Moscow
and Tehran – for whatever their reasons may be – lack the political
will to commit to an all-out sustained military operation to do this
themselves.

In other words it's highly likely, as I suspect, everyone is playing for their own benefit and hedging to their advantage- This is not a surprise. It's not even shocking. Neither Syria, Turkey or Iran want a Kurdistan..

The danger is that an FSA-occupied northern Syria would put Turkey in a
far better position to indirectly contribute to the UNSC-mandated
revision of the Syrian Constitution than a hodgepodge coalition of
internationally recognized “moderate” rebel groups backed by itself, the
US, and Saudi Arabia, but the flipside opportunity in all of this is
that it could remove both of those latter states from the
military-diplomatic equation and that there’s no guaranteed certainty
that Ankara will even get what it’s politically seeking.

All that’s on the table is the chance to do so, during which time the
diplomatic masters in Damascus, Moscow, and Tehran could see to it that
Ankara’s sway is neutralized and that no tangible harm is done. Turkey
isn’t being played as a “useful idiot” since it and all of its partners
benefit from the expulsion of pro-Saudi Daesh and the pro-US YPG from
northern Syria and possibly even from the rest of the country, it’s just
that Erdogan wouldn’t ultimately succeed in his last-ditch effort to
unseat President Assad in the last way that he knows how.

skipping past several paragraphs that you should read..

The Reason For The Outreach Strategy

The reason behind their decision in this regard is that neither
Russia nor Iran has the political will to launch an all-out conventional
war against the FSA, and Syria – fighting a liberation war on all
fronts, needing to secure recently freed territory, having to safeguard
critical supply lines, and steadily replenishing battlefield losses with
newly trained personnel – is in no position to do this by itself
without sustained assistance from its allies. Since this is not
forthcoming for a variety of reasons, they must settle for the next most
pragmatic option available, which is selectively using the FSA whenever
it meets Damascus, Moscow, and Tehran’s collective interests. That
means accepting the group’s existence and passively enabling it – if not
outright actively helping it – to fight against Daesh, al-Nusra, and
other “consensually agreed-upon” terrorist groups recognized by the UN
and the Geneva talks participants. This is an explanation, not an excuse
or endorsement, of what’s happening, and it’s crucial for readers to
understand what is being conveyed here. The author isn’t arguing in
defense of these actions, but is impartially expressing the reality as
it is today and explaining why this came to be.

That's right the FSA is a recognized consensually agreed up partner at the Geneva talks. That means the US and Russia both recognize them...

Having acquired a factual understanding of the complicated relationship
that the Resistance Bloc has with the FSA and the reasons behind this
controversial arrangement, it’s easier for one to understand why Syria,
Russia, and Iran aren’t overreacting to the installment of Turkey’s FSA
proxies as a replacement for Daesh and the YPG in northern Syria. One
should remember that these two latter groups are seen as a much bigger
threat to Syria and its territorial integrity than the FSA, since both
want to change its borders in one way or another (Daesh wants an
international caliphate, while the YPG wants a “federalized” [internally
partitioned] Syria) and neither are participants in Geneva. This
contrasts with the FSA, which has pledged to support the country’s
present borders and is actively involved in Geneva.

The Kurds and ISIS actually want to alter the territorial integrity of Syria.... What a coincidence......... right? ISIS created a "caliphate" and the Kurds fight ISIS to create Kurdistan- on land stolen by ISIS....... convenient

skipping past several more paragraphs...

Accepting Turkey’s Military Operation

Apart from Damascus’ predictable proclamation about the violation of its sovereignty and Moscow’s stereotypical statement
about expressing “deep concern” (the author couldn’t find any official
statement from Tehran on the matter as of 20:00 MSK on 25 August, though
that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist), none of the three has done
anything concrete to resist the Turkish military forces, with Syria
refraining from asking its Russian and Iranian allies for help in
repelling Erdogan’s Army and its FSA proxies. It also didn’t help any
that reports
immediately started circulating that the Saudis were offering financial
assistance to the Kurds in exchange for the continuance of their fight
against the SAA, which comes on the heels of Iran’s accusation
just last month that the Saudi consulate in Erbil was providing support
to the Kurdish terrorists fighting against Tehran. If it wasn’t in the
collective interests of Syria, Russia, and Iran to see the Turks wipe
the YPG out from the northern border belt that they’ve been fiendishly
building with American-“Israeli”-Saudi support over the past couple of
years, then they all would have united in vocally condemning Ankara for
what would then have amounted to a pro-US invasion of Syria and began
preparing emergency contingency plans for militarily evicting the
occupiers.

The same equipment that deterred a Turkish invasion for the past nine
months since the downing of Russia’s anti-terrorist jet over Syria is
still inside of the Arab Republic, proving that Moscow could very easily
have put an immediate halt to Turkey’s territorial transgressions had
they not been coordinated with Syria, Russia, and Iran in advance (no
matter what each partner publicly says in order to ‘save-face’ among
their domestic constituents). Iran could have announced that it was
cancelling Erdogan’s planned trip to Tehran if it was really serious about voicing dissatisfaction with
Turkey’s moves, just as President Putin could have said that he’d be
delaying his upcoming visit
to Antalya. Neither of Syria’s external protectors issued any
statements whatsoever that could be interpreted as red lines and
ultimatums, which further confirms that they don’t see Turkey’s latest
moves as a threat, but instead as a prearranged opportunity that
decisively works to Syria’s ultimate advantage.

passed by another two paragraphs....

The Fundamental Importance Of The FSA

To be clear, the author is not endorsing the FSA’s occupation of
Syrian land, but is explaining why Syria, Russia, and Iran are not
taking any steps to stop this and in fact appear to be cynically
encouraging it in order to more rapidly bring about a resolution to the
War on Syria. To elaborate, Daesh and the PYD/YPG are not nor ever
realistically will be party to the Geneva talks, while the FSA is.
Evaluating the situation in Syria right now, it’s impossible for there
to be a lasting solution to the country’s conflict unless all the
parties exercising military control over every square inch of the
country are included in the future settlement. The Resistance Bloc
understands this, and while it would optimally be ideal for the SAA to
liberate the entire state, this might not realistically happen (let
alone anytime too soon) because of Russia and Iran’s’ lack of political
will (for whatever the reasons may be, whether justified or inexcusable)
to commence an all-out conventional war against every militarized
anti-government force in the country. Cognizant of this constraint and
acknowledging that the SAA is in no position to do this on its own
without such support amidst the challenging conditions that it currently
finds itself in, the next best solution is for the “moderate rebels”
officially recognized by Syria, Russia, and Iran to gain control of the
territory presently occupied by terrorists like Daesh and other
non-Geneva-participating groups such as the PYD/YPG.

again, passing by several paragraphs that should be read..............

Constitutional Quarrels

The UNSC-mandated rewriting of the Syrian Constitution is Erdogan’s
ultimate aim, even though this strategically puts him at competitive
odds with his recently reconciled partners, two of which, Russia and
Iran, have publicly restored their relations with Turkey, while the
last, Syria, has yet to do so and might never publicly will (but nor
would Turkey want to on its part as well, both for domestic political
reasons). All Great Powers have their disagreements and areas of
rivalry, and this is no different when it comes to the Multipolar
Community and the Tripartite between Russia, Iran, and Turkey. While
working together to the betterment of their collective self-interests in
resolving the War on Syria, these three members still cannot publicly
agree on what comes next after Daesh is defeated. Moscow and Tehran
place no demands on President Assad to step down, while Ankara is still
obnoxious with its rhetoric, though it might by this point actually be
only just that, words. It’s very likely that Erdogan has accepted that
President Assad will continue democratically ruling over Syria for as
long as his citizens allow him to and he’s interested in maintaining
that position, but it doesn’t mean that the Sultan still doesn’t have
hope that he can engineer his rival’s downfall through the forthcoming
negotiations on Syria’s constitutional revision.

The Face-Off:

Like it was earlier written in the research, all of the
military-diplomatic engagements that are presently ongoing in Syria and
have been proceeding for the past year are based on removing all
“non-consensually agreed-upon” negotiating parties from the ground and
replacing them with internationally recognized forces – be they the SAA
or “moderate rebels” – that could account for the situation across the
entirety of the country’s territory and thus bring about a sustainable
solution to the War on Syria. After completing this first gargantuan
step, the second one is to work out the nature of Syria’s new
constitution, and it’s here where, as the saying goes, “the devil’s in
the details”. All parties presently active on the ground with the
exception of the PYD/YPG and “consensually agreed-upon” terrorist groups
such as Daesh (neither of which are party to the Geneva talks) support
the inviolability of Syria’s borders and are against the country’s
“federalization” (internal partition), but they dramatically differ over
the future of President Assad and the Syrian Presidency in general.

omitted paragraphs can be read at link provided..........

Dark Scenarios

The introductory paragraphs of this study specifically drew attention
to the fact that Turkey’s conventional military involvement in Syria is
indeed a gambit by all sides, one which could end up being a win-win
one if Turkey succeeds in removing (or assisting in the removal of) the
US and Saudi Arabia’s proxies in Syria and holds off on (or is prevented
from pursuing )any ulterior regime change agenda (i.e. through the
constitutional revision), but which could also turn very bad for the
Multipolar Community if Erdogan either gets to greedy and/or is won back
over by the US in the midst of all of this. Setting aside one’s
personal opinion about the wisdom of this initiative, the reality is
that Syria, Russia, and Iran all agreed to it with the understanding
being that the possible benefits far outweigh the dangers and that
emergency split-second military contingency measures could be
implemented to rein in Turkey if it suddenly gets out of control.

So after the coup attempt--- no one visited Turkey, an alleged NATO ally, from the US until Joe Biden showed up last week- No visit by John Kerry. No president to president visit between Turkey and the US in all this time. Until after Turkey starts shooting at the US besties in Syria..
Recalling the tacit approval to the coup plotters from the US.

"U.S. President
Barack Obama will have a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan during the G20 summit in China next month and is likely to have
at least an informal talk with Russia's Vladimir Putin, the White House
said on Monday. Obama
wants to talk with Erdogan about events in Turkey after July's attempted
coup, the military campaign against Islamic State, and how to promote
stability in Syria, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told
reporters. The
White House said it opposes Turkey's push into areas in northern Syria
controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, an opposition group
the Obama administration supports............."

Monday, August 29, 2016

Yes, Turkey has built a good sized, height and length, wall on it's border with Syria. I've mentioned this reality on several occasions. Turkey began construction more then a year ago..

Where there is no wall, there will be trenches or massive barbed wire fences. Claims that Turkey has done nothing to secure it's borders just don't ring true. As I've stated once Turkey began tightening border security the US and company began airdropping arms to KurdIShIS. Or arms were brought into Syria via Iraq. Both of these truths ignored to continue pushing a simplistic narrative-

Briefly- Turkey has been cutting off KurdIShIS supply lines for a while now- Covered previously at the blog. This is most likely the reason we recently had reports of the US dropping tons of arms to Kurdish militias in Syria.

Within this
framework, Turkey has erected a 239-kilometer-long (148.5 miles) fixed
concrete wall at the border with Syria and is planning to build another
one, 207-km-long (128.6 miles).

Concrete wall for more then half of the border

Turkey shares a 900-km-long (559 miles) border with Syria, which has been involved in a civil war since 2011. Separately,
the set-up of 49 km (30.4 miles) of barbed wire,72 km (44.7) of a
trellis fence, and a 61-km barrier (37.9 miles) of razor accordion-wire
has also been completed.

The
Turkish Army has also dug a 401-km (249 miles) ditch and built an
86-km-long (53.4 miles) embankment as well as completed a 4-km (2.4
miles) shear wall.

It
has also completed the construction of 57 concrete watchtowers at the
border regions in the Gaziantep and Kilis provinces and has modernized
many existing towers with day-and-night surveillance systems.

Turkish
army troops have completed the construction of 85 km (52.8 miles) and
improved 1,892 km (1175.6 miles) of roads, and ameliorated lighting on
422 km (262 miles) of the border.

In
line with demands, authorities have declared temporary military
security zones in 47 regions, while one region was declared a special
security zone.

I live quite near the US/Canada border. There is nothing like what is mentioned above going on in Niagara....

Turkey has started building a new wall along a fragment of its
southeastern border with Syria as it struggles against smuggling,
illegal migration and the threat from al Qaeda fighters among Syria's
rebel ranks.

Turkey has built a 239-km wall in Hatay province on the border with
Syria for enhancing its security, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 22.
The newly built wall is three meters high and two meters wide, according to the agency.

Drastic action: Construction begins on a high-security border fence
between Turkey and Syria, pictured in the town of Reyhanli today, in
Hatay province..

The latest portion of wall construction is taking place at Ayn Al Arab or Kobane:

In my world Ayn al arab is Syrian territory, not Kurdish. And the name of the town is Ayn al Arab-not Kobane. Since the msm and alternative have already erased the actual name of that town from the collective memories of the masses I’ll use both names, but, will opt for the correct name of the town first- Ayn Al Arab. (Kobanî , officially Ayn al-Arab) My presentation of this material in this manner is in line with that of John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov: Both of whom have informed us they stand for a unified Syria and not an 'independent' Kurdistan

Yesterday the Kurds were claiming the Turks were going to attack Ayn al Arab aka Kobane- this was utter nonsense from what I had read, because the Turks were building another section of their border wall! Verified today by the Kurds themselves..

It appears a generous handful came out to protest- I see about 30 in the pic included with the coverage:

The Turkish authorities started building a barrier wall on its southern border.

The Rojava Self-Administration issued a
statement condemning the Turkish barrier wall project, and called on
the international community to take action and stop the Turkish
violations on the border with Syria.

“The Self-Administration in the Kobane
canton condemns this aggression by the Turkish state against the people
of our region. We appeal to the international community to break its
silence and put pressure on the Turkish government to stop those
violations,” it said.

That would be quite hypocritical of the international community to condemn Turkey, for securing it's border, after all the caterwauling from the international community.

We gathered here today to condemn the barrier
wall project launched by Erdogan and his government,” Zaibar Kurdi, one
of the Kobane protesters.

This is not the first time for Turkey to
build such a barrier wall on its borders with Syria’s Kurdish region. A
similar wall has been built near the cities of Qamishli, Derik and
Afrin.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

One of those, for your information- keep it under your hat, kind of posts

I've never been one to promote the Kurd victim meme so liberally spread at this time- Nothing is ever that simplistic- Memes are simply mind viruses created to manipulate. Kurd:Victim is a meme.

All information I've read regarding the 'leaders' of the messy mix of Kurdish people, shows their leadership to be both betrayers and betrayed. Always aligning themselves with power for their own, often corrupted, personal gain. But, never completely innocent! Never entirely the victim. Kurdish elite and fighters have a history of brutality, ethnic cleansing and aligning with power for gain. As it was in the past, so it is in the present. What is apparent is the leadership leaves the masses to bear the brunt of their corruption.... Much like the masses everywhere (not unique to kurds) Sigh......
Such a familiar theme.

It's interesting also how much the kurds have fought among themselves. And they still are today!

In the inter-Kurdish civil war that broke out in 1994, each of the two parties sided with neighbouring countries in order to defeat its adversary. In 1996 the KDP even called for military support from the Iraqi government to expel the PUK from Arbil.

In 1998 the KDP and PUK ended their conflict and started to cohabit in a ‘‘cold peace’’ relationship, but did not manage either to reunite their two administrations or to repatriate the thousands of citizens displaced during the fighting. In autumn 2002 there were still heavily armed checkpoints in the no- man’s-land between the two areas of influence. Although on a much smaller scale, another confrontation emerged, this time between the PUK and a radical Islamist group called Ansar al-Islam that had established its base in the mountainous area near Halabja on the border with Iran. It consisted of radical Islamists who had split off from other Islamist groups in Kurdistan, and of Kurdish and Arab Afghanistan ‘‘veterans’

So many of the same groups still around today- Some readers here may recall me mentioning Ansar al Islam as a Kurdish group of radical Islamists.. Some readers may recall me mentioning it seemed much more probable that the Kurds killed (gassed) in Halabja were killed by other kurdish factions, rather then Saddam Hussein- Much in the same way that it was the rebels that used sarin gas in Syria.

However, for rallying the troops and enforcing a simplistic meme, blaming Saddam for 'gassing the kurds' was likely more expedient

"Although it is not possible to predict the future, it is clear that the Kurds in Iraq have a rare opportunity to add a chapter to the new world order being constructed as the twentieth century draws to a close"

(26) Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin admitted that his country gave the Kurds "money, arms, and instructors."

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev
signed an order to lift the ban for chartered flights between Russia and
Turkey. The document is published on the government's website.

The document also reads the air companies serving chartered flights
between Russia and Turkey should provide additional security measures.

The ban for chartered flights between Russia and Turkey is off, press service of the Ministry of Transport said on Sunday.

"Rosaviatsiya has sent notifications to Russian air companies and
informed the system of managing air traffic," the press service reported
statement by Minister Maxim Sokolov. "Thus, Russian air authorities
ready to provide necessary conditions for serving chartered flights to
Turkey, including issue of permissions to Russian air companies.".

Saturday, August 27, 2016

One Turkish soldier was killed and three others were injured in a
rocket attack by the U.S.-sponsored YPG terror group,launched against
two tanks taking part in Turkey's military offensive against Daesh in
the Syrian town of Jarablus.

This isn't going to sit well with the Turkish population. Their NATO 'ally' supplied rockets used to kill Turkish soldiers....I've no doubt that the US or NATO allies did indeed supply the rockets to YPG/PKK to kill whoever the Kurds choose to kill. What happened to the US instructing YPG/PKK to retreat?What about Kerry's claim the US does not support an independent Kurdistan?All actions seem to contradict US claims.

The casualties are the first for Turkey since the launch of Operation
Euphrates Shield to rid the border region of terrorists on Wednesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to
the media, the official said rockets were launched at two Turkish tanks ,
the northern Syrian city freed from Daesh.

The tanks were hit 7 kilometers south of Jarablus, where Turkish
forces helped the Free Syrian Army (FSA) to clear Daesh terrorists from
the area. The rockets had been fired from an area where the YPG militia
has been active.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the activity of PYD's
armed People's Protection Units' (YPG) along the Turkish border, and has
been rigid in its stance of not allowing the PYD terrorist group to
found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.Despite consistent U.S. calls to retreat, PYD units have been moving
to the east of the Euphrates river, and the group has continued its
offenses amid the conflict between Turkish-backed moderate opposition
forces and Daesh terrorists.

The YPG — the Syrian affiliate of the terrorist PKK — has been expanding
its dominance west of the Euphrates River since late December,
reinforcing its presence in the region using the fight against Daesh as a
pretext.

KurdIShIS- It's been obvious for so long now- Only the willfully blind choose not to see.

In an interview with
Sputnik, Ismail Hakki Pekin, former head of the intelligence unit of the
Chief of Staff of the Turkish army, said that he took part in five
behind-the-scenes meetings with representatives of the Syrian
intelligence services. He did not conduct formal talks, but instead
served as a mediator between Turkey and Syria.

"I
took part in five meetings involving representatives of Turkey and
Syria. We held the talks to assess the situation in general and
determine whether bilateral relations could be restored," he said. "Much
in the same way that Turkey held negotiations with Russia."

Two of the meetings took place in 2015 and three were held this year, he added.

"At that time we had no information regarding any official talks between Ankara and Damascus. If they took place, [President Bashar al-Assad] or someone from the Syrian intelligence services would have told us."

Why would he think that he would be informed of official talks? That's his opinion, might be accurate, might not be. What's most important is that Syria and Turkey were holding talks equal to those held between Russia and Turkey

The informal meetings primarily revolved around the situation in Syria at the time and security measures, he added.

"We talked to representatives of the Syrian
intelligence services. They told us about what was happening in Syria,
about the prospects of restoring relations between Turkey and Syria,
about working on a joint security concept. We discussed possible steps
that Ankara and Damascus could take towards each other," he explained.

Erdogan calls Putin

On August 26, Russian and Turkish
presidents, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, conducted a
telephone conversation. The presidents discussed the situation in Syria
and agreed to continue personal communication conversation. The
conversation was initiated by President Erdogan.

"The leaders had
a detailed exchange of views on the state of affairs in Syria. They
noted the importance of joint efforts in the fight against terrorism," a
message from the Kremlin said. In addition, the presidents discussed
"issues of further development of Russian-Turkish cooperation in
political, trade and economic spheres in light of the agreements reached
at the meeting in St. Petersburg on August 9."

Thursday, August 25, 2016

It was interesting to watch Biden, sitting in Turkey, telling the YPG they had to move east of the Euphrates after all the blood spilled by the two partners in crime in Manbij.Link

"Joe Biden had told Kurdish forces that they "must move back across the Euphrates River." He said "they cannot -- will not -- under any circumstance get American support if they do not keep that commitment," according to the AP news agency."

Covered the Manbij promise here
So, there was the matter of a promise given by the US to Turkey- once ISIS was removed from Manbij, the Kurds were to vacate the area- They, of course, did not. And it looked as if the US had no intention of encouraging them to do so- Resulting in Turkey taking matters into their own hands. We know the Manbij Kurdish fighters let ISIS go free, displaced a whole bunch of residents and destroyed the registry records making it difficult for the displaced to return. Run of the mill stuff for the Kurdish militias and their US backers. This failure to keep a promise appears to be a factor in Turkey’s move into Jarablus, Syria- Turkey surely noticed the the US didn’t keep their word regarding Manbij- so it appears they moved on their own.

Fallout from the coup?

Turkey is not pleased at all with the handling of the Gulen extradition. Yildirim made that clear. This displeasure over the extradition of Gulen, along with the failure to uphold a promise made, have likely played into their decision to move on Jarablus. If you can’t trust your NATO allies, who can you trust?

“Jarablus is a key lynchpin in the Turkish-Kurdish rivalry. The town lies on the western bank of the Euphrates River at the Turkish border in a pocket controlled by the Islamic State group.

The YPG and other Syrian Kurds stand on the east bank of the river, and from there they hold the entire border with Turkey all the way to Iraq. They also hold parts of the border further west, so if they ever took control of Jarablus, they would control almost the entire stretch”

Turkey has long, long wanted a no go zone- The US never went along with it

I covered this topic more then a year ago: Here You can read that post now, if you didn't then.Snipped from year ago plus post:

Turkey has long sought a "no-fly zone" or "safe zone" in northern Syria
but met resistance from Washington, which says direct military pressure
on Islamic State, not a "safe zone", is the best way to end the region's
fighting and refugee crisis.

Shortly after writing the above post another possibility was entertained, here at the blog, that the US might let Turkey have their zone as a way to grind them down: HereRead now if you did not read then- Makes all this history more understandable!

The US stance at that time ”The United States will not allow Turkey to attack Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (PYD) forces in northern Syria, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told Rudaw Tuesday”

My how this situation has changed!

Also interesting that the US is saying they’re fully behind this, allied with Turkey, but Turkey is presenting this as their own move. AsiaTimes

“A senior US official, apparently traveling with US Vice-President Joe Biden, said that the United States was giving air cover to the Turkish operations, telling the Syrian government to keep its planes away.

Actually that's not what the US official said so it's interesting to notice the disinfo aspect, the obfuscation of what is really going on.

“We have full visibility on what they [the Turks] are doing,” the official told journalists.

I’ve no doubt the US has full visibility, but, that does not tell us
they are supportive. It tells us they are aware, watching, can see
what’s happening. Having “full visibility” does not speak of
participation- active participation. It’s interesting also that the US
was supposed to contribute some artillery rockets for the operation,
but, they hadn’t arrived yet. Will they arrive? Ever?

"References to this support have been relatively few so far in the Turkish media and politicians’ speeches and in Ankara the operation, known as ‘Euphrates Shield,’ is being portrayed simply as a Turkish military success”

The support isn't being referenced because it doesn't exist. No one can say 'full visibility' = active participation. It doesn't!

"However, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s foreign minister, said “Turkey and the United States have planned this from the beginning. The US was to contribute M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) but unfortunately they have not arrived yet.”

Another slight on the part of the US towards Turkey?

“Turkey appears to have secured the approval of several of its other neighbors before launching Wednesday’s intervention, including apparently Russia. Presidents Erdogan and Putin met in Moscow on 9 August”

“It also apparently secured the agreement of the Kurdistan Regional Administration in Erbil in Northern Iraq during a one-day visit to Ankara by President Masoud Barzani on Tuesday this week. The Erbil government enjoys good relations with Turkey and is on poor terms with the Kurdish militants of Turkey and Syria.”

There seems to be consensus that Turkey made this move with some types of approval from Russia, Iran, Masoud Barzani and the US. Possibly from Bashar al Assad also.

YEREVAN. – At present, no country in the region—neither Turkey nor Iran nor Iraq nor Syria—is interested in the creation of a Kurdish state.

Analyst and former deputy foreign minister of Armenia, Ambassador Arman Navasardyan, noted the aforementioned at a press conference on Thursday.

In his words, if Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had to make a choice between the Kurds and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he would side with Assad.

“As long as no Kurdish union is created at the border, since this is a matter of life or death for Turks,” stressed Navasardyan. “Turkey may even conduct some negotiations with Assad, only to prevent the creation of a Kurdish state and take them out of the ‘game.’”

If the US was behind the coup, as most suspect, did it’s fail change the dynamics? Or is the US simply biding time until the election? I can hardly believe that the US/NATO/Israel/Kurds allies are going to let this pass..

Turkey’s incursion into Syria reflects a shift away from its insistence that President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power in any settlement there and may start to close the gap between the international coalitions that have helped keep the country’s civil war raging, analysts and diplomats say.

In recent months, Turkey has indicated a readiness to accept a transitional role for Assad in any political solution, something Unal Cevikoz, a retired senior Turkish diplomat, called a major change.

“Turkey has realised there are more important challenges than removing Assad,” said Cevikoz, and that in turn has opened the door to improvements in Ankara’s relationships with Russia and Iran, Assad’s main backers. Turkey would not have launched “Operation Euphrates Shield” on Wednesday without a green light from Russia, he said.

The challenges Ankara is now prioritising over Assad include fighting Islamic State, which has stepped up its terrorist campaign inside Turkey, and - even more importantly - stopping the advance of Kurdish forces along the Syrian-Turkish border. Turkey sees the Kurdish militia in Syria as a branch of the Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK, an insurgent force it is trying to crush inside its borders.

The focus on Kurdish militias risked further tension with the US, at a low point in their relations, given that Syria’s Kurds are key US allies in the fight against Islamic State. Instead, the operation appears to have provided ground for cooperation there as well.

I don't usually quote Landis- However his statement is accurate

“The capture of Manbij has changed things dramatically,” said Joshua Landis, director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, who has run an influential Syria commentary forum for much of the war. “American special forces helped the Kurds to capture a swathe of territory that put them in reach of building a Kurdish state. That clearly terrified the Turks.”

"Robert Ford, former US Ambassador to Syria, said in a phone interview that after creating tensions with Turkey by supporting the Kurdish YPG, or People’s Protection Units, “the Americans are choosing not to resist.”

"Turkey has been agitating for years to create a buffer zone (read the two posts from 2015) along its border with Syria to prevent Syria’s Kurds from connecting the two areas they hold and establishing their own state, which they have named Rojava. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey previously failed to convince the US to help with the buffer zone, however, and was unwilling to act alone. He would have faced opposition from the Assad regime as well as its Russian and Iranian backers. That calculation now appears to have changed"

“The interesting thing is that there has been basically no Russian reaction” to the Turkish incursion, said Dmitri Trenin, director of the Moscow bureau of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Russians understand Turkey’s legitimate interest on the Kurdish issue, and it looks like Russia may have agreed not to object to a limited operation, in exchange for Turkey being more cooperative on a political settlement with Assad.”

A new wave of Turkish tanks rolled into northern Syria on Thursday as the military extended its fight to drive Islamic State away from the border and deter advances by American-backed Kurdish forces.Fears of an immediate clash between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the Kurds appeared to subside as the Kurdish forces pulled out of Manbij, a strategic Syrian town on the western side of the Euphrates River, according to U.S. and Kurdish officials.

The withdrawal could help defuse regional tensions as Turkey moves into the second day of military operations inside Syria, an offensive complicated by competing interests among the allies and the rival groups of fighters they support.The Kurdish forces, known as the YPG, are seen as America’s most effective force against Islamic State. But Turkish leaders see the group as an extension of an outlawed Kurdish militant group in Turkey and are pushing to limit its territorial gains in Syria.

The U.S. has been putting pressure on the Kurds to pull back from territory that they have taken from Islamic State, as they have previously promised to do. In a call on Thursday with his Turkish counterpart, Secretary of State John Kerry said the YPG was moving back to its strongholds on the eastern side of the Euphrates.

Turkish soldiers and U.S. warplanes (?- I need more verification of US warplanes being involved?) kicked off the new offensive on Wednesday, joining forces with the Syrian rebels to quickly push Islamic State out of Jarablus, the Syrian border town the extremist group long used as a vital supply route.

Fighting was continuing between the Turkish-backed forces and militants in villages around Jarablus on Thursday.After the swift victory in Jarablus, Turkey said it would remain in Syria until the Kurdish forces in Manbij, 25 miles to the south, followed through on the pledge to pull back.

But it has also said it would stay until it is certain that Islamic State poses no imminent threat to Turkey, which gives the military open-ended support to remain in northern Syria.

The operation creates an opening for Turkey to fulfill a long-held desire to carve out a buffer zone in northwest Syria that could become a sanctuary for Syrians fleeing the fighting—and a staging ground for its rebel allies.

It would also allow Turkey to retain a geographic wedge between two Kurdish-controlled regions of northern Syria that the YPG would like to connect. That would create a unified Kurdish area on Turkey’s border that Ankara sees as an unacceptable security threat.

Think about this?

War is .....

...THE CONTINUATION OF STATE POLICY, BY OTHER MEANS

.......A POLITICAL ACTIVITY IN WHICH VIOLENCE IS USED TO BEND THE WILL OF YOUR ENEMY TO THAT OF YOUR OWN

Stop being Manipulated by the Elites

For if you [the rulers] suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves [outlaws] and then punish them.´ - Sir Thomas More (1478-1535)

Resource: Ukraine Military Marker

How your brain works

“‘Each thought and behavior is embedded within the circuitry of the neurons, and…neuronal activity accompanying or initiating an experience persists in the form of reverberating neuronal circuits, which become more strongly defined with repetition”

Richard Restak

Unshackle YOUR mind

'The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed'- Steve Biko

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Edward Bernays: Perception Management it is a Reality

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society,"

"Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. . . . In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons . . . who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind."

About Me

This blog is a place to not only post information that will never see the light of day on the mainstream media, but, also to present alternative perspectives to main stream media information, that most often presents no background, no context, and never questions the information presented.
The name I chose, Penny for your thoughts, is an invitation to readers to share their relevant thoughts on the varying information.